ER
PRESIDENT of the World Tourism Forum Institute (WTFI), Bulut Bagci, admitted that he was amazed by the Gorontalo traditional clothes worn by the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno at the World Tourism Forum.
“In promoting tourism, what Minister Sandiaga Uno has done is very cool and shows Indonesia is very rich. The Gorontalo traditional dress immediately spreads positive energy plus Minister Sandi’s expertise in promoting Indonesian culture in a short time,” said Bulut Bagci in Jakarta, Thursday (9/16).
Furthermore, Bulut Bagci assessed that Indonesia has a wealth of tourism. He even called Indonesia a “first class” world tourism.
“Indonesia is a ‘first-class’ tourist destination with warm people, diverse culture, and beautiful nature. This is a force that can promote tourism, political stability, and democratic mechanisms,” he said.
On the occasion, Minister Sandiaga said the Indonesian government focused on increasing tourism potential and the creative economy which is expected to become the locomotive of the national economy.
Sandiaga also explained several Kemenparekraf policies, including the Tourism Grant Stimulus Program, the Free COVID Corridor or Travel Corridor Arrangement, the Development of Special Economic Zones, to the Creative Economy Digitization Program.
“The program targets 34 million people who depend on the tourism sector and the creative economy,” said Sandiaga.
In 2020, he continued, foreign tourist visits to Indonesia were recorded at 4.05 million visits, a decrease of 74.84% compared to 2019 which amounted to 16.1 million visits. The government targets foreign tourist arrivals in 2021 to reach 4 million movements with a foreign exchange value of US$4.8 billion and creative economy exports to US$17.45 billion.
“Meanwhile, the number of domestic tourists this year is targeted to reach 180 million movements considering that there are still many travel restrictions and rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesia is gradually reopening tourist destinations for foreign tourists,” he noted.
The opening of Indonesian tourism will depend on several prerequisites, namely the COVID-19 pandemic that can be controlled, which means the destination must be at a low risk of transmission and adequate health facilities are available.
Preparations for the opening of Indonesian tourism are also said to require the acceleration of vaccination, ensuring the readiness of business actors and the entire community in maintaining strict and disciplined implementation of procedures, as well as the readiness of the tourism industry to implement the Cleanliness, Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability (CHSE) protocol which is equipped with PeduliLindungi. [antaranews]
